Hard as it may be to believe, up until now there has not been a guide to bird songs of North America that includes virtually all the North American species AND which presents more than a brief snippet of sound for each bird. Until now, you actually could buy a more comprehensive guide to the bird songs of southern Africa than you could for North America! Plenty of less comprehensive sound guides for North America are on the market, but for an "encyclopedia" of bird sounds on this continent, birders have mostly had to content themselves with the Peterson sound guides, with their brief (5-10 second) sound samples and (until recently) completely outlandish price tags.Finally, with the publication of the western edition of the Stokes guide in 1999, birders have the definitive reference they have been waiting for. These two volumes (the eastern edition is by Lang Elliott) together must be considered among the greatest bird sound guides ever published, anywhere.
Lang Elliott and Kevin Colver, the compilers of the two guides, are among the best natural sound recordists in the Americas, and had extensive experience producing their own CDs and tapes of natural sounds before they undertook the massive editing job for these guides. The results are stunning. The bird songs (averaging 30-35 seconds for each species, with variations of song and call notes also given where appropriate) are reproduced in the best audio quality possible. Notes accompanying the guides list each vocalization type heard on the CDs or tapes. The CDs and tapes average over 70 minutes each; about 8 1/2 hours of listening if you get both guides. Species of birds that have never been presented on any other guides are included here: Black Vulture, California Condor, and Horned Puffin for example. No effort was spared to track down recordings of even rarely heard species. The odds are overwhelming that, wherever you live in North America, the next bird sound you hear when you step outside is on at least one of these guides.
Since the publication of the Stokes guides, the Peterson series has reduced their prices. (I think they must hear footsteps behind them). But the Stokes guides are well worth the few extra dollars you will pay to enjoy and use them. Where else are you going to get a three or four-disc set for the prices you see here? For the beginning birder, I don't know if I would recommend these potentially overwhelming compilations. (Try one of Elliott or Colver's other CDs to start learning the songs of the bird around you!) But for the serious birder who wants to step up to a full-service guide to bird songs, there really is no other choice any more.
Thank you, Lang Elliott and Kevin Colver, for these superb reference works.
